Poll: More Millennials Would Rather Live Under Socialism Than Capitalism

The unexpected popularity of Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Bernie Sanders clued America into just how popular the concept of socialism is among Millennials. But are you truly aware of just how large a percentage of our young people would rather live in a socialist society than a capitalist one?

The Victims of Communism Memorial Foundation released a report Thursday of what they found when they asked Millennials (generally regarded as people currently in their very late teens, 20s and early 30s) what they thought about socialism and what they actually knew about it.

Disturbingly, only 42% of Millennials preferred to live in a country operated under a capitalist form of government. Two percent more than that favored living in a socialist country. On top of that, a full 7% would prefer communism.

So why do America’s young people, for the first time, prefer socialism over capitalism? A big factor may be ignorance.

“It seems that the majority of America’s largest generation would prefer to live in a socialist or communism society than in a free enterprise system that respects the rule of law, private property, and limited government. This is even more disconcerting when coupled with the fact that, despite Millennials’ enthusiasm for socialism and communism, they do not, in fact, know what those terms mean,” the Victims of Communism Memorial Foundation wrote.

They tested that theory by asking Millennials to correctly identify a basic definition of capitalism from amidst definitions of socialism, communism, and fascism. Only 51% of Millennials correctly identified capitalism, scoring them significantly lower than the older generation before them (Generation X) and the younger generation after them (Generation Z).

Disturbing, too, is the fact that around 70% of Americans of all ages over the age of 15 struggle to even define communism. Thankfully, though, disapproval of communism has recently lessened among Millennials.